Faculty & Staff
The Helms School of Government at Liberty University trains and equips students to become Christ-centered statesmen and stateswomen in the fields of criminal justice, government, political science, public policy and administration, the law, international relations, strategic intelligence, and national security. The knowledge gained from our programs, integrated with Biblical wisdom, gives our students a sound historical, structural and philosophical education in American government at all levels, firmly rooted in Judeo-Christian principles of governance, justice and liberty. Our faculty in the Helms School of Government bring real-world experience and a keen understanding of the critical issues facing society into the classroom. In addition to our residential team, our programs include over two hundred adjunct faculty involved in distance education for online courses.
See all Program Directors listed by school and program name.
Deans
Robert Hurt
Residential Dean
govtdean@liberty.edu
Ron Miller
Online Dean
onlinegovtdean@liberty.edu
Dr. Suzanne Caruso
Associate Dean for Online Operations
sfcaruso@liberty.edu
Dr. Stephen Parke
Associate Dean for Residential Programs and Department Chair for Government
smparke@liberty.edu
Residential Faculty
Robert Cooper
Assistant Professor of Government
rcooper2@liberty.edu
Dr. Joel Cox
Department Chair for Criminal Justice
jmcox5@liberty.edu
Dr. Gai M. Ferdon
Professor of Government
gmferdon@liberty.edu
Dr. Kahlib Fischer
Professor of Government
kfischer@liberty.edu
Dr. Thomas J. Metallo
Professor of Government
tmetallo@liberty.edu
Dr. Mary Prentice
Associate Professor of Government
msprentice@liberty.edu
Lawrence Presley
Associate Professor of Criminal Justice
lapresley@liberty.edu
Dr. Ben Rathsam
Assistant Professor of Government
brathsam@liberty.edu
Amanda Trent
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
atrent4@liberty.edu
Edna Udobong
Associate Professor of Government and Fulbright Program Advisor and Scholar Liaison
eudobong3@liberty.edu
(434) 592-5460
William Waddell
Associate Professor of Government
wwaddell@liberty.edu
Online Faculty
Dr. Suzanne Caruso
Associate Dean for Online Operations
sfcaruso@liberty.edu
Dr. Fred Newell
Department Chair for Public Safety and Administration
fnewell@liberty.edu
Dr. Jason Ross
Department Chair for Government and Public Policy
jross124@liberty.edu
Residential Staff
Melanie Lamm
Department Secretary
mlamm2@liberty.edu
(434) 592-3702
Titus Pettman
Senior Administrative Assistant to the Dean
tpettman2@liberty.edu
(434) 592-3698
Sarah Fendrich
Career Coach
sefendrich@liberty.edu
(434) 592-4109
Sarah Spillar
Professional Advisor
sespillar@liberty.edu
(434) 592-4360
Drew Wallen
Professional Advisor
dwallen3@liberty.edu
(434) 592-7213
Online Staff
Marcus Akers
Director of Projects and Initiatives
makers4@liberty.edu
(434) 592-3688
Deidre Akers
Faculty Support Coordinator
dakers3@liberty.edu
(434) 592-6402
Chris Rhoades
Faculty Support Coordinator
cprhoades@liberty.edu
(434) 592-4509
Paige Staples
Faculty Support Coordinator
pmzappitella@liberty.edu
(434) 592-5567